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Learn 23 ways to reduce your exposure to harmful toxins in your home.
There are hundreds of toxins in the air you breathe and the products you use. These toxins are damaging to the endocrine system and the brain. They wreak havoc on hormones and affect reproductive health. So, be conscious of the chemical burden you are exposed to daily.
Eliminating your exposure completely is unavoidable, but you can be mindful of a few things. When you take steps to decrease your toxic load, your immunity increases and the liver restores its ability to detox the body effectively.
You can reduce your risk of chronic illness by limiting exposure, especially to the water you drink (and what you are drinking it out of), the food you eat, and the personal care products you choose to use every day.
There are many simple, safe, and effective steps that you can take to reduce the use of chemicals in the home.
23 ways to reduce toxins in your home
- Household cleaners
- All-purpose cleaners, though useful around the house, contain chemicals that not only irritate the skin but can cause respiratory diseases.
- Scrubber sponges, water, vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda are common household goods that may be mixed to simulate the same impact of all-purpose cleaners.
- Dishwashing soap
- While no direct pollutants are present, many name-brand dishwashing soaps are petroleum-based, contributing to your dependency on oil.
- Consider purchasing a non-petroleum-based product the next time you go shopping.
- Hand sanitizers
- Triclosan-containing hand sanitizers can harm the liver, affect thyroid hormones and contribute to medication resistance. When looking for an antibacterial agent, choose one that is alcohol-based rather than triclosan-based.
- Plasticware
- Plastic containers are an excellent method to store and carry food but be sure they are bisphenol A (BPA)-free.
- Plastic with the numbers 3, 6, or 7 may contain BPA, so stick to things with the numbers 4, 5, or 12.
- Another thing to keep in mind is to never microwave plasticware. Just because the label states that it will not melt does not guarantee that chemicals from the container will not leach into your meal.
- Stainless steel, ceramic, and glass containers are alternatives to plasticware.
- Food
- When shopping for food, avoid chemicals and genetically modified organisms. Whenever possible, buy organic food or locally grown produce.
- Eliminating pesticides is beneficial and inhibits the use of these chemicals in commercial farming, which is beneficial to the environment.
- Safe food handling
- Maintain proper food handling practices, such as keeping raw meat apart from your salad.
- Consume leftovers within 48 hours.
- If your food is not organic, soak it in a 50 percent vinegar solution for 10 minutes before rinsing to eliminate pesticides.
- Toilet bowl cleaners
- Glass cleaners
- Most glass cleaners use ammonia, which is a common and dangerous component.
- A far safer technique to clean windows is using water combined with white wine vinegar or lemon juice.
- Drain cleaners
- Drain cleaners contain some of the most hazardous poisons on the market and using them may be lethal.
- To avoid using drain cleaners, place screens over drains to trap drain-clogging particles. If a blockage occurs, use a plunger or “snake” plumbing gadget to physically remove it.
- Rodenticides
- The easiest approach to eradicating rats is proactive management, which includes storing rubbish in containers and ensuring that there are no gaps in external walls.
- If a rat infestation occurs, traps are a less-toxic alternative to rodenticides. Just make sure to keep those traps out of reach of kids and pets.
- Air fresheners
- Many air fresheners include phthalates, which may irritate your allergies and impair your reproductive system when used to remove an unpleasant odor.
- Open a window for ventilation instead of utilizing a store-bought product to promote ventilation.
- Furniture
- Many modern pieces of furniture contain perfluorinated chemicals and volatile organic compounds stain and flame-resistant ingredients.
- These substances cause cancer and developmental issues.
- Purchase old furniture or inquire about toxin-free possibilities at your local furniture store.
- Replace the cushions on your old couch or get rid of them. Replacing an old sofa or merely the cushions with a new flame-retardant-free fill will drastically reduce toxic exposure.
- According to studies, when people replace their old couch or cushions with new ones that do not contain flame retardants, the levels of harmful chemicals in household dust decrease significantly.
- Flea and tick control for pets
- Flea and tick treatments are required insecticides for home pets, but they must be handled with caution.
- Use the drug on the indicated bug, and only in the stated dosage.
- Do not misuse the formula because it may lead to health complications.
- Keep it away from children.
- Lawn and garden pesticides
- Many lawn and garden pesticides include carcinogens and reproductive poisons that can irritate human tissues.
- Pesticides should be avoided at all costs at home.
- Instead, adopt soil-management practices, such as crop rotation and growing pest-repellent herbs and flowers, or practice organic gardening.
- Clean regularly, especially for dust
- Cleaning using nontoxic cleansers helps remove toxins that accumulate in the home over time.
- Pollutants in the air can be trapped and held by dust. Dusting often will enhance the air quality in your house and lower the chance of allergic responses to dust.
- Use microfiber towels because they readily remove dust and do not require the use of a cleaning spray.
- Leave footwear at the door
- Most contaminants that enter a home, such as lead, pesticides, and germs, are carried in on shoes.
- Install a shoe rack near the entryway or safely outside your floor entrance. Once footwear is left outside your home environment will improve dramatically.
- Invest in an air filter
- High-efficiency particulate air filters (HEPA) may be beneficial when it comes to cleansing the air in your house.
- These air filters are especially helpful if you have allergies, asthma, or other air-borne sensitivities because they help eliminate dust, certain chemicals, molds, and animal dander.
- Because they require some energy to run, it is best to run them at night while you sleep.
- If HEPA air filters are out of your price range, make sure you open the windows in your home daily to allow for fresh air exchange.
- Invest in water and shower filter
- Water quality varies greatly across the United States, so consider what is going into your drinking water and what you are receiving through your skin when you shower.
- Water may contain chemicals from the purification process, compounds that serve to kill microorganisms in the water, and chemicals that are taken up as the water flows through the pipes.
- Furthermore, water can include salts, heavy metals, and chemicals.
- All these particles can have a harmful influence on health if exposed regularly for an extended length.
- Installing a water and shower filter can remove toxins and provide you with better-looking skin and hair.
- Invest in air cleaning plants
- NASA research found that plants are the best at filtering pollutants in the air and creating useable oxygen.
- Certain plant species are extremely adept at obstructing pollutants common in modern household environments, such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene.
- Choose clean beauty products
- When feasible, replace your cosmetics and fragrances with chemical-free alternatives.
- Shampoo, toothpaste, face creams, foundation, and other regular-use products should be pure organic products.
- Whenever possible use essential oils instead of perfume.
- Say goodbye to tobacco products
- Tobacco products do not benefit anyone's health and contribute significantly to indoor air pollution.
- They are costly and can lead to expensive healthcare costs.
- Get rid of the mercury thermometer
- A broken thermometer containing mercury is a biohazard. The place must be thoroughly cleaned and ventilated as soon as possible.
- Avoid this problem by donating your thermometer to your municipal toxic waste authority and getting a digital thermometer.
- Consider low or zero VOCs
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a class of over 400 compounds that emit gas pollutants, such as formaldehyde, into the house.
- The chemicals have been associated with headaches, dizziness, vision abnormalities, cognitive impairment, and an increased risk of cancer and liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage.
- Paint, carpet, furniture, air fresheners, dry-cleaned clothing, moth repellants, shampoo, cosmetics, deodorants, and a variety of other home items include these compounds.
- Look for “low-VOC” and “zero-VOC” products and let new items air out in a well-ventilated location for a few days to limit VOC exposure.
Toxins are easy to dismiss as inconsequential because they are invisible to the naked eye. Ignoring the influence of these dangerous chemicals, however, might lead to a decline in your quality of life. As a result, to live more naturally, you must be more proactive in your decisions. Taking these detoxification methods in your house is the greatest way to live a healthy life.
